Weekly Menu Plan #4

This past summer I read a lot of fluffy books.  After a stressful pack up and move to Utah, I felt like I needed a non-fiction break (which is what I normally read), and when I found some fluffy teen novels in a box at my in-laws house, I naturally picked them up and ended up reading stuff like that just about all summer.  I felt pretty guilty about it, because it felt like a waste of time (and it was), but earlier this week, Adam and I were talking about reading, and he brought up how I read whatever I feel like reading, even if it is a re-read, or a fluffy book, and how he thought that was kind of cool. Suddenly, something that had felt like a bad thing seemed so 'free-spirited'.

Isn't so much of life how we frame it?  Do we have to feel guilty for re-reading books, especially if they bring us a lot of joy?  Do we have to feel guilty because we don't eat and instagram avocado toast everyday for lunch, or because we haven't sold our souls to Game of Thrones?  I say DON'T GIVE IN!  I certainly try to explore new things, and occasionally try out trendy stuff (depending on what it is), but I want to do the things I want to do, even if they aren't popular or instagrammable.

This week, I think you should do something because you want to.  Not because anyone else is doing it, and not because you feel obligated to do it.  Maybe a long walk in the park, or a screen-free night.  Or watch re-runs of Sabrina the Teenage Witch (I re-watched all of this show in college... it was great!).  Whatever it is, just know I will be cheering you on!

Now, onto the actual point of this post (sorry for that random, passionate intro), the menu!  We finished up our Hello-Fresh box this week, and it was okay.  I don't think I would make it a regular thing, because it is expensive, and the portions were kind of small (we almost always eat leftovers for lunch the next day), but it was fun to try out, and I was super grateful to have some free meals show up this week!  I also made a few new things, and a few old things.  Overall, a pretty successful week. However, my fridge is just about empty, and I can't wait to go shopping tomorrow so I can fill it back up!

Items to Use Up:  
Zucchini
Beets
Arugula
Butternut Squash
Cabbage
Eggplant
Red Pepper
Sweet Potato

Weekly Menu Plan: 

Pork Potstickers - Another recipe from Hello Fresh.  This one was pretty good, and probably my favorite of the three.  In fact, we still have about 20 of them in the freezer, and I am looking forward to cooking them up sometime this next week!  Yum! I have made homemade potstickers before, and blogged about them here if you want to check that out.

Adobe Chicken Tacos - Our last meal from Hello Fresh.  They definitely didn't have enough flavor.  They should have been great, but they were kind of meh.

Butternut Squash and Gouda Pie - This was a TERRIFIC dish.  Except the sauce separated in the oven, so I have to work on that, and once I fix that, I will post it here.  If you want to try it anyway, send me an email and I will send you the recipe as it is now.  It is sososo good!

Savory Pesto Crêpes - I love these so much.  The crêpe recipe would work for any savory or sweet crêpes.

Beet Soup - I make this whenever I have a lot of beets and not a lot of ideas.  It has appeared regularly since we started the CSA box.

Bacon Gouda Soup - YUM!  Not an original recipe, but a great one that I will be posting in the next week or so.

Eggplant Tomato Pasta (sauce was similar to this recipe, but I used basil and left out the sausage) - Surprisingly good, especially considering the fact that I don't like eggplant at all.  This was a mild way to eat it.  It got rid of the icky, spongy texture.